- Planning authority
- Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- L23, L38
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Merseyside
What shapes a plot in Crosby
People living next door are consulted on every planning application, and across L23 and L38 that applies to a family annexe just as much as to a new house. Their privacy, outlook and light carry real weight with Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council. A design that keeps upper windows away from adjoining gardens, uses obscure glazing where it has to, and leaves a planted margin along the boundary gives the council fewer reasons to refuse. A quiet word with the people either side before the application goes in is often worthwhile too.
How we’d take it forward in Crosby
The next step is a conversation, by phone or through the form, about your garden in Crosby and who the new home is for. We check access, title, the main planning constraints and any CIL position for your address, then tell you whether an annexe, a separate home or neither looks realistic. If neither does, we’ll say so and explain why.
Free plot appraisal
We look at your plot, access and the planning picture from the desk, talk through who will live in the new home, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.
Annexe or separate home
We set out both routes for your plot, covering what each means for planning, ownership, council tax, CIL and VAT, so you can decide with your family and advisers before design starts.
Survey and design
A measured survey, then a design built around the person moving in: step-free routes, a ground-floor bedroom if needed and privacy for both households. You get a written quote after design and survey.
Build and handover
We build while you carry on living next door, with access, deliveries and working hours agreed up front. At handover you get the completion certificate and the paperwork you’ll need for council tax, lenders and any VAT claim.
Worth checking early
- Family plans change: agree ownership, costs and what happens if circumstances change in writing, with a solicitor.
- A separate home needs its own garden, parking, bins and access, so it needs more land than an annexe.
- CIL exemptions are lost if work starts before the claim is made, and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years.
Questions about garden plots in Crosby
Will an annexe in Crosby put up my council tax?
It might. Annexes can be banded separately, but exemptions exist for annexes lived in by certain dependent relatives, and in some cases a discount applies where family live there or the annexe is used as part of the main home. Who qualifies depends on the relative’s circumstances and how the annexe is used. Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council’s council tax team can tell you how the rules apply to your household.
How much garden do I need for a family home in Crosby?
There’s no fixed figure. A single-storey annexe close to the house can work on a smaller plot than a separate dwelling, which needs its own garden, parking and access. What matters is whether Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council can be satisfied on privacy, daylight and the space left for both homes. The free appraisal gives you a first view based on your plot’s actual shape and access.
How long will building work disrupt my home in Crosby?
A single garden home usually takes several months on site, with the noisiest work, such as groundworks, drainage and heavy deliveries, concentrated near the start. We agree working hours, access and parking with you up front, and with the people next door where it affects them, so your household knows what each week will look like.
Is CIL payable on a family home in Crosby?
Only if Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council has adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy, which its website will confirm, and we check it for you during the appraisal. Where it applies, self-build and residential annexe exemptions exist, but both must be claimed before work starts and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years of completion.
Other options in Crosby
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Corner and side plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Joint venture on your garden plot

